


Pit of Vipers

by Chaunceytron



Category: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-04
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:07:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 13,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23479705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chaunceytron/pseuds/Chaunceytron
Summary: Sequel to Before Things Fell ApartNow working under the tutelage of Albert Wesker, Cass is stuck doing his dirty work. But on her first assignment, she gains access to information of her mother's past. Could this be her ticket to freedom, or will she be trapped in the dark world Umbrella created?
Comments: 6
Kudos: 10





	1. Chapter 1

Nonchalantly taking a sip from his mug, Chris kept an eye on the office across the street. Umbrella operatives had been visiting the small office, and Chris wanted to know why. His hand clenched the mug tightly for a moment. With a sigh, Chris relaxed his grip. Cass had been missing for over two months now. They suspected that Umbrella was behind it, but there was no evidence. Of course.  
Chris pretended to be reading a book as the operatives walked out of the building. He had to fight the urge to follow the men. It would completely blow his cover, and he doubted that they’d know anything about Cass anyway. As the men got into a car and drove away, he flipped to the last page of the book. He’d have to choose a different disguise next time. One of the operatives’ eyes had lingered on him for a moment. Removing the fake glasses, he set them on the table and rubbed his eyes. Jill would be joining him soon. Hopefully, she would have information on Cass’ disappearance. Unfortunately, they couldn’t relay anything over the phone or online as Umbrella would most likely be listening in on them.   
Chris got up and started the walk back to his apartment. The sound of screaming jerked him out of his funk, and he looked around to see children playing a game. With a sigh of relief, he watched them for a moment. A little redhaired girl ran by him to grab the soccer ball. After yelling at her friends, she ran back to the group with a laugh. A small pang of guilt troubled Chris as he left the park. Everything seemed to be reminding him of Cass. A bit of karma for leaving her behind.   
He’d known that Umbrella had been interested in her, but he’d still left her behind. Even after what had happened to Raccoon City, he hadn’t returned to see if she was alright. At the time, it had seemed to be the right decision. He had been so close to finding the leader of Umbrella… or so he had thought. It had turned out to be nothing. He had lost Cass and gained nothing. Gats and Jill had been secretive on the details of Cass’ disappearance just in case Umbrella was somehow listening in on them. As he reflected on his mistakes, a passing shadow caught his attention.  
Chris turned sharply into an alley hoping to catch sight of the mysterious figure, but his stalker had disappeared. With a sigh, he headed into his hotel. Someone had been trailing him for a couple days now. He doubted that it was Umbrella. If they knew where he was at the moment, then he would have been captured already. As he unlocked the door to his room, he turned around quickly to an empty hallway. Something felt off.   
Satisfied that no one was hiding in the shadows, he opened the door and locked it behind him. Setting down the book on a table, he scratched his head and wandered into the bedroom.  
“You really need to be more careful, Chris,” a voice said from the corner of the room.   
Chris’ eyes widened as he saw Jill standing in the corner of his room with a tired but joking smile on her face. He let out a little laugh and pulled her into a hug, which she reluctantly returned. Gesturing to a chair, he took a seat on the bed. Jill sat down and looked down for a moment.  
“I don’t know how to tell you this… We still have no idea who took her,” Jill said with closed eyes.  
“What happened? I thought that Gats had sent her to a place that no one else knew about. How did they find her?”  
“We still don’t know… Gats suspects that someone had followed Cass and waited until her guard was down, but we don’t know how or why.”  
“Then what do we know?!” Chris asked irritably.  
“The front door was bashed in. The car was destroyed. It couldn’t have been done by a human.”  
“A Tyrant? Hadn’t Cass said something about a man being able to control one?”  
“Yes… probably. All footage had been erased by the time Gats’ team had gotten there. So it could have been that ‘Daniel’ she spoke of. Kevin is looking into him at the moment.”  
“Kevin? …Ryman?”  
“Yes. After Cass’ disappearance, he got into contact with Gats and immediately got to work. He’s currently leading the team working on investigating Daniel.”  
Chris buried his face in his hands as he tried to fight against the surging guilt. It should be him leading that team. Cass was in danger, and there was nothing he could do about it. A thought shook him out of his pity party, and he gave Jill a suspicious stare.  
“Why investigating Daniel? Who’s in charge of finding Cass then?”  
Jill looked away guiltily and said in a hesitant tone, “She didn’t want me to tell you this… we were afraid it would make it hard for you to concentrate on investigating Umbrella. They found her blood. A lot of it. Near where the shotgun had been kept. They think she had tried to go for it when she was found inside the house. We don’t know for sure that she’s gone, but… it’s not looking good.”  
Chris stared at her in disbelief before he rose from the bed and walked out of the room.  
“Chris…” Jill started, but Chris interrupted her in a harsh whisper, “Why the hell wouldn’t you tell me?! What were you waiting for?! After I gather enough information? After Umbrella is taken down?”  
“I’m sorry… I know how much she meant… means to you. But right now… stopping Umbrella is more important. It’s what she would want.”  
Chris scoffed and asked, “And how would you know that?!”  
“Because she’s my friend too,” Jill said with pleading eyes. “I wasn’t as close to her as you, but we were together that day… when it all fell apart. She told me to protect as many people as I could… and she would take care of herself. Making sure what happened to Raccoon City never happens again is what she would want.”  
A single tear leaked from his face, and he turned to one of the people he trusted most. “But why couldn’t you tell me? Did you think I would abandon this mission?”  
Jill gave him an understanding look and replied, “No. But I know you want to. Plus there are some things that don’t fit.”  
“And what is that?”  
“Well… after Raccoon City, Cass had gone to a hospital for treatment. While there the doctors noted that her blood count was low, even for someone with a bullet wound. There was a theory that Daniel had put her into stasis while he’d run some tests. It’s possible that Umbrella planted the blood to make us think that she was dead, so we’d stop looking. But that’s just a theory… or rather a hope. Plus… the doctors had noticed something else that was strange. Something that could help with future Umbrella viral outbreaks.”  
“What?” Chris asked holding onto the thin thread of hope that his best friend was still alive.  
“Her blood already contained antibodies to the virus. It had actively fought against it and won. It might be why Umbrella and Wesker were so interested in her. After the dog attack, she’d been admitted to the hospital. Umbrella probably had gotten access to her tests. Wesker had seemed much more interested in her after the attack… so he probably had seen her results.”  
Chris nodded in agreement. Wesker’s attitude had changed after the incident. He had gone from treating her like a colleague to treating her like a friend. He’d even been protective of her. Likely protecting a potential asset. Chris’ hands clenched as he tried to process the new information.  
“Chris… it still doesn’t look good, which is why we didn’t want to tell you. We don’t have all of the facts yet, but we still have hope. I just… didn’t want you to feel like you didn’t do enough. She wouldn’t want you to feel that way.”  
Chris walked back into the room and collapsed on the bed. Jill sat beside him and put a hand on his shoulder.  
“If she’s still alive… I’m going to find her. After I take down Umbrella… I’m going to find her.”  
“Yes. Without a doubt,” Jill said as though it was simply a fact.  
They sat in silence as Chris tried to collect himself. At least now he had a partner. After taking care of Umbrella, he would find Cass and bring her home.


	2. Chapter 2

The smell of sweat made her nauseous as Wesker’s body trapped her on the floor. His face inches from hers. Bright unnatural eyes held her own eyes captive as he pinned her hands to the floor. He lowered his face to her ear.  
“Do you want to continue… or do you concede?”  
“I… you win. Happy?” Cass asked with a glare.  
Wesker smirked and replied, “Thrilled… you’ve made quite a lot of progress.”  
He got off of her, pulling her up with him. His hands lingered on her for a moment before a member of his task force called his name. Cass watched him walk away with a look of wariness. She had wondered if these sparring matches were just an excuse to make sure she was still weaker than him. Wesker’s attention was now focused elsewhere, so she snuck off into her room. After a quick shower and change of clothes, she paused in front of the vanity mirror.   
Glowing eyes stared back through the mirror as she looked at her reflection with disgust. Her eye color wasn’t the most drastic change she’d gone through, but it was the most noticeable difference. Setting her hand down on the vanity, she felt the sunglasses that she kept there. They were a “gift” from Wesker. As much as she wanted to smash them into dust, she knew that they were a necessity for her now.  
Her eyes had changed in more ways than cosmetic. They could now process movement at superhuman speed, but there was a downside. Her eyes had become more sensitive to changes in light. A sudden turning on of a lamp could make her see spots for a few moments. Wesker believed the pros outweighed the cons, but Cass wasn’t so certain. Perhaps Wesker’s overconfidence would be his downfall. She could only hope so.  
With a heavy sigh, she sat down on the bed. Wesker hadn’t fought her at full strength, but he didn’t need to. At first, Cass had assumed he’d be frustrated that she wasn’t as strong as he was. However, he had actually seemed pleased. She assumed that he just enjoyed being the strongest in the room. Plus, it meant that she couldn’t beat him. Closing her eyes, she tried to relax.   
It had been months since Wesker had taken her from the safe house. Upon waking up, she had successfully taken out Wesker’s agents, and if it hadn’t been for Wesker threatening her family, she might have gotten away. Not that it would have done her much good. He had found her in the middle of nowhere. No doubt he would find her no matter where she went. Cass rested her head on the backboard of her bed and closed her eyes, trying to quiet the nonstop anxiety.   
A knock on the door made her jolt up off the bed. Wesker soon entered the room with a file in his hand and gave her a curious look.  
“I have your first assignment,” Wesker announced with a wave of the file. “You’ll be interested in this one.”  
Despite her annoyance at his barging in, she was curious. She held out her hand for the file, but he moved it further away. After a moment of contemplative silence, Wesker said with an air of wariness, “I just need to know that you know what happens should you try to desert us.”  
“You hurt my family and kill my friends,” Cass answered, trying to keep the hatred out of her eyes.  
“Almost but not quite. I will quickly kill your family. Your friends however… will not be so lucky. Your dear Chris and I have some unfinished business,” Wesker said with a meaningful look at her, and Chris’ name had sounded like a taunt. “His death will not be an easy one. And when I find you again, and I will find you, then you will watch Claire die… slowly. Or perhaps… that cop that liked you so much… Kevin?”  
Cass didn’t trust herself to speak and merely nodded her head. Keeping her left hand clenched at her side, she once again outstretched her right hand. Wesker watched her in a measured silence before he seemed pleased with her response.  
He let her take the file this time and said, “I believe that you’ll enjoy this assignment. There’s an Umbrella testing ground that I want you to retrieve data from. It’s run by an old friend… Currently, I believe she’s invested in other projects, so her protégé is likely running the program. Daniel Fabron, I believe is his name. If you get the chance, capture him, and I’ll send you coordinates on where to take him. Should he be less than friendly… dispose of him.”  
“Dispose of him? You want me to kill him?!”  
“Well, he is an Umbrella employee. I didn’t think it would be difficult for you considering how much damage they’ve done. If it makes you feel better, the program you will be looking into takes random people and puts them into… simulations with Umbrella’s creatures. Mr. Fabron has killed his fair share of innocent people. Of that I can assure you.”  
Cass blurted out, “If I kill him, then can I leave?”  
Wesker’s eyes betrayed his frustration, but she continued, “If not, how many people will you ask me to kill? Dozens? Hundreds? For the next ten years? For the rest of my life?”  
Cass hated how desperate she sounded, but she was slowly reaching a breaking point. Looking down, she heard his footsteps slowly approaching her. His arms grasped her shoulders and turned her around in the direction of the mirror. Gently tilting her head up to see her reflection as Wesker’s other arm snaked around her waist, he looked into her reflection’s eyes. Glowing… unnatural… just like his.  
“This… is forever, my dear. I am the only one on this planet like you now. Fifty years from now… a hundred years from now, I will be the only one you have left. You will never age, can never get sick, and are faster and stronger than any human could ever dream. You and I are special. Most humans would simply die, but you and I came back stronger. No one else would understand you now… and besides, you do want Umbrella brought to justice, do you not? To make sure your Chris is safe. And it would certainly help Claire. After all, Daniel may be able to tell you where she is.”  
A chill went up Cass’ spine as she asked, “Why would Umbrella know where she is?”  
“She was captured at the Paris branch office. Likely looking for her missing brother. Perhaps if you go through with this mission, you’ll find out more.”  
Cass’ hand clenched the file. She doubted that this mission would reveal much if anything, but what other option did she have? And besides… this Daniel. Could he be the same one from Raccoon City? If so, she had some questions of her own.   
“Fine… I will get the information you want,” Cass said and looked down.   
“Thank you,” Wesker replied with an air of arrogance. She expected him to let her go, but instead he pulled her closer to him. Her entire body froze as he planted a gentle kiss on her cheek. “Stop fighting it, my dear. You belong by my side, and I will do what is necessary to keep you there. However… should you complete this mission successfully, I would be willing to allow you some time with your family.”  
“And what about Claire? Chris?”  
His grip on her tightened, and he replied in an even tone, “No. You may look into saving Claire should you find anything, but stay away from the Redfields. That is an order.”  
“Understood.”  
Wesker spun her around and pulled her into a stiff hug. Cass momentarily wondered if he’d ever hugged anyone before as he certainly didn’t seem used to it.  
“You will see in time. You and I… our fates are intertwined. We will talk again after your mission… I have my own work to do.”  
As Wesker let her go, she asked curiously, “And what is that? …if you don’t mind me asking.”  
Wesker looked away but answered, “A previous project of Umbrella’s… a possible variant of the T-Virus. I will be back soon. Safe travels, Cass.”  
Cass watched him leave the room before she leaned back on the bed, file still in hand. She would play it safe for now. Allow him to think that she was under his control. As much as that made her feel sick, fighting him would do her no good. She opened the file and began reading. She’d find this Daniel… and then she’d figure out a way to escape Wesker’s clutches for good.


	3. Chapter 3

After pulling herself up onto the roof of the building, Cass took a moment to catch her breath before she took a look around the compound. This facility was extensive even by Umbrella’s standards. No doubt Wesker’s “old friend” must be a higher up in Umbrella to be in charge of this operation. Cass adjusted her sunglasses as she looked around for more cameras.   
Wesker’s men had given her a device that could loop the feed for thirty seconds, so as long as she was careful, Umbrella would never see her coming. A camera aimed at a nearby building caught her attention. It wasn’t in her way at the moment, but she was curious as to why it was pointed in that direction. As though sensing her curiosity, it slowly moved to the courtyard. Cass muttered a quick swear under her breath. That would make it impossible to time the loop without the security getting suspicious. Luckily, she had a backup plan.  
After a quick look around to spot any other cameras that might see her, she waited until the camera started to turn away and leapt from the building. She caught the ledge of the other building and took cover behind the wall. The camera scanned the area. She waited until it moved away again before she made another move, hopping down onto a lower ledge and crawling inside a window. No one was in this room.  
Turning on a flashlight, Cass slowly walked around the room. A growling caught her attention, and she turned to see two of the Cerberus canines jump to attack her. Using her enhanced speed, she ducked away. The two dogs collided in the air. As they recovered from the fall, Cass dropped the flashlight to grab them by the necks, crushing their windpipes.   
Her breathing slowed as she looked around the room. No one else was in here. The dogs hadn’t gotten a chance to bark, so she doubted that anyone would have heard anything. Scooping up the flashlight, she took off the sunglasses. The room wasn’t pitch black, but it was dark enough to make wearing the sunglasses frustrating. She’d rather see the enemy coming for the moment.   
Taking a moment to scan the room, she noticed the lack of cameras. In fact, the rest of the room seemed empty except for what appeared to be a supply crate. Curious, Cass opened the crate to see a med kit and some bullets. What kind of sick game were they playing? It reminded her of what Wesker had put her through during the mansion incident. Trapping people in an enclosed area with a monster and ammo seemed to be an Umbrella trademark, and Wesker had said that this was a “testing” facility. Neither of those would be of any use to her, so Cass closed the lid quietly before leaving the room.  
“Now, now, children,” a familiar voice said over the intercom, filling Cass with a quiet seething rage. “Brats who won’t abide by the rules shall be punished… most severely.”  
Of course it would be that French bastard. At least she wouldn’t feel bad about handing him over to Wesker’s team. Checking the room for cameras, she waited until the camera turned away before she sprinted for the hallway. Even if the camera caught her, it wouldn’t have caught more than a small blur. More likely to be chalked up to some kind of interference than a super-speedy intruder, she felt more confident as she moved into a larger room. A camera loomed above her, but it wasn’t one that moved.   
Taking care to avoid being in its sight, she slowly walked around the room.   
“That French piece of garbage…” a voice muttered from nearby, and Cass quickly took cover behind an old metal crate.  
“Quiet… we don’t know what’s in here,” another voice whispered.   
Cass felt a twinge of guilt as the footsteps went past her, but she doubted that they would trust her anyway. Who would trust a stranger with glowing eyes? Particularly here of all places. As the footsteps got further away, she looked at where they had come from. No doubt Daniel was lurking in a safe room away from the monsters. But maybe they had missed something. Cass ducked into the hallway with a quick glance for cameras. The bodies of dead lickers littered the room, blown apart by explosives. The supply crates had been raided. Only one camera was in the room, and it wasn’t particularly difficult to dodge.   
“Oh, dear. It looks like sweet Valerie might not be long for this world. Ah, the good do die young,” Daniel’s voice echoed over the intercom.   
Maybe Daniel would have an accident before she could bring him to Wesker’s men. Her fingers twitched to her gun. Maybe… he just wouldn’t come quietly. Cass did owe him a bullet after all. A nearby door caught her attention, and she focused on finding the bastard. Tuning out his melodramatics, she examined the door to get a better look at the lock. It would set off an alarm if she opened it by force, and she definitely wanted to surprise Daniel before he could scurry away. Taking out one of Wesker’s gadgets, she found the right frequency, and the door popped open.  
She closed it behind her before looking around the room. No doubt this was where Daniel had been checking in on his subjects. Computer screens showed the different views from the cameras. Cass wondered where he was now as she inserted the USB into the computer. After the transfer was complete, she would need to track down Daniel, and maybe she could even save those people. An open and empty briefcase caught her attention, and she wondered what had been inside of it.  
A large shape on one of the screens caught her attention, and she stopped to see a Tyrant walking toward the group. Daniel had been able to control one before. Perhaps whatever was in the case allowed him to do so. Wesker would definitely be interested in that piece of technology. With a sigh, she noticed that the program on the USB had done its job. She removed it and walked toward the other door.  
This was the only other way out of this room, and she hadn’t seen him leaving. Taking out the gadget, she found the frequency of this lock and cautiously entered the hallway. Daniel turned with a look of surprise, but Cass had him pinned against the wall before he could react. The shocked expression turned into a smile as he recognized her.  
“Ah, ma minette! How long it’s been! You really shouldn’t have interrupted me,” he chided her, clearly not taking in her rage. “I’m in the middle of an experiment. Dr. Wesker will be more than happy to speak with you… once my work is complete.”  
“No. This is done now. You will let them go and come with me, or it’s game over for you.”  
“Oh, my dear. You wouldn’t hurt me… How ashamed your dear Chris would be to hear you speak this way.”  
“I owe you a bullet,” Cass said with a smirk. “And Chris isn’t here… is he.”  
“No… but the other one is.”  
Cass almost released her grip in surprise before she asked, “’Other one’?”  
“Karl? No… that’s not it. The one from the University… the unkempt heathen.”  
“Kevin?” Cass whispered.  
“Oh, that’s it! He’s been such a thorn in our side. In fact, this was supposed to be our last experiment… in this facility. We’ve had to relocate quite a few times since Raccoon City. I truly am happy to see you. I suppose, Albert is the one who caused your disappearance, correct?”  
Cass glared at him and said nothing, but she supposed that was as good as an actual answer. He continued, “Oh, you know who you should meet…One of our subjects reminds me of you. A clever, resourceful forest ranger who’d had a run-in with the Cerberus around the same time you had yours. But Albert chose you… Quite frankly, I believe he chose well… I was so worried for you. Blood found at the scene… quite a lot of it. It would appear that you were a success.”  
“Enough chit chat. We need to hurry. You already sent the Tyrant after them, didn’t you?”  
“Of course… but there is something,” he muttered as a bright flash of light caused her to let go of him and grab her eyes in pain. “Sorry, my love, but I do need to finish this project. Then I’m all yours.”  
As the world slowly came back into focus, she ran back to the previous room to check the cameras. Spots obscured her vision, but she focused on finding Kevin. After finding him, she started to run to back to where she’d come inside when a computerized voice sounded over the intercom, “Now in lockdown mode. No one will be permitted outside until after the experiment is complete.”


	4. Chapter 4

The spots in her vision had finally disappeared as Cass rounded the corner to where she had seen the Tyrant. She’d debated whether or not she should let Kevin see her. On one hand, it would make getting into contact with Gats easier, but did she really want him to see her like this? Quickly putting on her sunglasses, she checked the room for signs of where the Tyrant had disappeared. A busted door clued her in on which way it had gone.  
Charging down the hall, she heard the sound of gunfire and shouting in the distance. A door closed, and the Tyrant walked toward someone stuck in a trap. The man trapped turned toward the Tyrant with his gun raised and a look of defiance, and Cass felt her breath catch in her throat. Cass bolted toward the Tyrant and jumped up onto a nearby container. As the Tyrant turned toward her, she jumped off of the container and kicked it in the face. The Tyrant stumbled to the side. Landing on her feet, she jumped again and kicked the Tyrant square in the chest. This time it fell and slid toward the wall.  
“Cass?” Kevin asked with a wary but hopeful look on his face. He was now free from the trap but seemed to be in shock.  
“No time for explanations!” Cass yelled and grabbed his hand.   
She bolted toward a different door and sealed it shut behind them. Kevin wobbled a little and leaned on the table. Looking down, she noticed blood on the bottom of his pantleg; she took out a first aid spray and knelt down. Kevin flinched back.   
“Are you really Cass?” he asked as though not daring to believe it.   
“Unfortunately, I am… but I suppose I’d say that even if I wasn’t,” she said with a slight smile. “I could have let the Tyrant get you if I planned on hurting you.”  
Kevin bashfully lifted his pantleg up, so she could treat his wound. With a sigh, she put the spray on the table. This room seemed to be a dead end, and it was more likely that the Tyrant, or the French bastard controlling it, had decided to chase after the easier targets.  
“What’s up with the sunglasses?” Kevin asked, and Cass jumped a little.  
“Daniel almost blinded me earlier… Just trying to keep my eyes safe.”  
Kevin nodded, but Cass had already turned her attention toward the door. Opening it, she found her suspicions proven correct by the shattered door where the test subjects had escaped.   
“I understand. If I were infected with a virus and could kill the world, then I would be conflicted about escaping too,” Daniel’s mocking voice echoed from the intercom as Cass and Kevin made their way toward the group.  
“I really, REALLY hate that guy,” Kevin muttered, and Cass gave him a quick nod in solidarity.   
“He’s probably watching from somewhere and controlling the monsters. They must be pretty close to the end of this… ‘test’. I doubt that he’d unleash the Tyrant if things were going his way.”  
“They said that they had finished two other ‘floors’, so I hope so. They’re being timed. If they don’t finish by a certain time, then the things around their wrists will release a poison into their bloodstream. Quite frankly, I doubt that even if they finish Umbrella would let them live.”  
“Unless they have something more dangerous outside that they’d like to test on the trickier subjects.”  
“That’s possible,” Kevin agreed as they rounded a corner to find a man being held up by his head.  
Cass darted forward, pushing her superspeed, to slam into the Tyrant at full force. The Tyrant dropped the man. The Tyrant threw Cass across the room in a rage.  
“Cass, my dear. I’m going to need you to stop interfering with my work! I will have more than enough time to spend with you after this is done.”  
“Piss off!” Cass shouted and ran back at the Tyrant.   
Avoiding its grip, she grappled onto its head. Using the Tyrant’s shoulders as leverage, she twisted its neck until she heard the bones crack. The Tyrant’s body crumpled to the ground. After checking to make sure the Tyrant was dead, she picked up an empty spray can and threw it at the camera.   
“Ma minette! You need to control your fucking temper!”  
“Says the pot to the kettle!” Cass yelled back and turned to see Kevin and the man staring at her in a mixture of horror and surprise.   
“What the hell are you?!” the man said and backed away from her.  
“Your best chance at escaping this nightmare… and isn’t the clock ticking?”  
“Tick tock!” Daniel’s voice boomed, and Cass looked for the speaker irritably.  
“We need to talk,” Kevin said cautiously, and Cass looked away.  
“Later. Aren’t they in danger?” Cass asked, checking for the speaker. “After we get out of here… I’ll tell you what happened. I promise.”  
Kevin looked unsure and asked, “Where are you going?”  
“To deal with Daniel the douche. What else? Kevin… time is of the essence for them. Help them escape, and I’ll keep Daniel from interfering.”  
“Oh?” Daniel’s irritating voice purred from the intercom. “Just how are you going to keep me occupied, ma minette?”  
“I’ll tear your head off,” Cass whispered under her breath before Kevin shot the intercom.  
“Hey!” Daniel’s voice came from an intercom in the next room.  
Kevin gave her a hesitant look before he started running in the direction where the man had vanished. Cass felt a knot of guilt in her stomach as she started looking for Daniel. Was she really going to tell him what had happened? How would Wesker react to that? He’d already threatened to kill Kevin before, but he didn’t specifically state to stay away from Kevin. Just the Redfields.  
A bookcase revealed a secret door, and Cass barged her way inside. Computer screens littered the room. No sign of Daniel but information on one of the computer screens let her know that he had been here. A phone sat on the desk and soon began to ring.  
“Daniel,” Cass muttered through gritted teeth.  
“Hello, beautiful… I’m still not quite ready, but I do have something to tide you over for the moment: information on your mother. Just like I promised.”  
“What?” Cass breathed and took a closer look at the computer screen.  
“Feel free to read as much as you like… I’ll let you know when I’m ready.”  
Cass put down the phone as she continued to read. A picture of her mother was on the screen with someone named Dr. James Marcus. She had been an Umbrella researcher. A video file was attached to the page of information.  
“Tests with the virus strain are going well. We should be able to move from small mammal testing to something… larger very soon. My assistant has agreed to take part in your continuance of Project W, so long as it doesn’t interfere with our work. A smart, well-disciplined woman… I see why you would want to use her. I will send another report once our testing is complete.”  
Cass didn’t recognize the voice, but she hadn’t expected to. It was listed as a “Marcus audio file.” No doubt Umbrella had killed the researcher if he hadn’t gotten the results they wanted. What was “Project W”? And was her mother the assistant “Marcus” had mentioned? She bit her lip as she continued reading through the notes. Project W was also known as Project Wesker. Her breath caught in her chest as she scrolled down the page, but it abruptly cut off.  
A single message lingered at the bottom of the screen, “If you want to know more, ma minette, go back to the room we last met. Not even your Albert knows what I can tell you.”  
With a sigh, she turned her attention to the cameras. The group had gotten out safely, so killing them wasn’t Daniel’s goal. Bracelets littered the doorway where the group had escaped. Cass just hoped that there wasn’t something even more dangerous waiting to kill them.   
Turning her attention back to Daniel’s message, she pondered whether she should take the bait. It was most definitely a trap of some kind. However… if the information gave her some kind of advantage over Wesker, then she could use it to take back control of her life. Motion on one of the cameras caught her eye, and she relaxed as a helicopter came into view.   
Kevin helped the survivors get into the helicopter and seemed to be arguing with them for a few moments. No doubt he’d be coming back for her. If Daniel did set some kind of trap, then she needed to spring it before Kevin could get caught in the crossfire. Adjusting her sunglasses for another confrontation, she started running back to where she had started.


	5. Chapter 5

Kevin waited nervously as January hacked into the last of the terminals. The door to outside opened, causing a breeze from outside to travel inside. While he wanted to relax, he kept his guard up; who knew what kind of sick game Daniel had planned for the “survivors”. He kept his eye on the cameras. Daniel had been tracking their movements, but now the cameras didn’t seem to be moving.   
As they left the building, Kevin glanced warily at the machine gun mounted on the camera outside. The camera was still turned away from them. That unsettled Kevin even more. The sounds of a helicopter made his heart soar, but he kept an eye on the camera as the survivors got into the helicopter.  
“Get these guys to safety!” Kevin told the pilots as he noticed the camera turning toward them. “Tell Gats I found Cass, and I’m going back for her!”  
“What?!” Martin said with disbelief. “Man… I hate to be the one to tell you this, but whatever that woman is… it isn’t human! Let her go.”  
“Martin,” Becca said reproachfully. “That’s enough.”  
“You didn’t see her eyes! They glowed red!”  
“I know what I’m doing, Martin,” Kevin replied with a smile that he didn’t quite feel. “Whatever she is… she’s still my friend. And she saved us, so I kinda owe it to her.” Even though his tone was joking, he felt a knot at the pit of his stomach. Just what had they done to her? He had tried to focus on just getting these people to safety, but now that they were safe uneasy thoughts had taken over. If she was alive and well, then why hadn’t she sent them news?   
“She saved us by breaking that giant’s neck,” Martin retorted, causing the others to glance at him with shock. “Clearly, she can take care of herself. Why won’t you just come with us? Don’t you guys have more people? Where’s the rest of your team?”  
Kevin glanced at the building and retorted, “My team is dead. That psychopath in there had a lot of traps in place to keep you from being found. I was just lucky…”  
“Then come with us and wait. If he killed your entire team, then how are you going to survive on your own? Just come with us and get reinforcements.”  
“I won’t be alone,” Kevin said and tapped the side of helicopter, so they would leave. “I’ll have the woman I love with me.”  
The survivors’ faces stared at him in shock as the helicopter ascended into the sky. Heat radiated from his face. Why had he told them that? Well, it had certainly shut them up at least. He turned his attention back to the building and started to race back inside when the camera’s machinegun turned toward him. Jumping behind the building, he watched as a bench took the bullets that were meant for him.  
“Non. I can’t let you do that,” the French jerk’s voice taunted him from a nearby speaker. “I let your friends escape. Why didn’t you join them? My dear Cass and I are having a belated conversation… that as I remember it, you RUINED last time we met! So… just back off. After all, if she wanted to be with you, wouldn’t she already be in your arms rather than chasing after me?”  
“She just wants to put a bullet in you, you deranged psychopath!” Kevin shouted as he looked for another way inside.  
“At the moment perhaps but she’ll soon see that I am her best option.”  
Kevin grabbed a grenade and peeked out to chuck it at the machine gun before hiding back behind the building. Bullets whizzed by but were then followed by a loud explosion.  
“Hey! What’s this bullshit?!” Daniel yelled in frustration.  
Kevin ran back inside the building and checked for any more machine guns. Only cameras littered this room, and he let out a small sigh of relief. The room didn’t contain anything of use. Walking to check the entrance to another room, he checked the room for more traps. He tried to ignore Daniel, but the bastard’s grating voice made it difficult.   
“Dammit! You don’t even know her anymore! She’s not human. Do you think you can cure her?”  
“I’m going to try,” Kevn replied with a low growl in his voice.  
“What makes you think she’d want to be cured? Did you see how quickly she dispatched the Tyrant? Breathtaking! Hey… but just a quick question… what kind of flowers do you think she’d like?”  
Kevin stopped what he was doing to look at the camera in confusion and asked, “What?”  
“Red roses would suit her, but that’s just so… cliché. Perhaps spider lilies?”  
“What the hell are you going on about?!”   
“Flowers, stupid. That is something women seem to adore… does she not like flowers?”  
Kevin decided to ignore Daniel’s nonsense as he was sure it was a ploy to distract him. Daniel didn’t stop.  
“If not flowers, what does she like? Puppies? Kittens? That would be cute. A kitten for my kitten. Hmm… maybe something more permanent… Jewelry?”  
Kevin gripped his gun as he searched the next room. Nothing incredibly useful. Just a couple bullets.  
“It’s a bit too early for a diamond ring but perhaps a necklace of some kind.”  
“A diamond what?” Kevin asked in a low voice. Clearly, Daniel was trying to distract him, and unfortunately it was working.  
“A diamond ring. Or do you think she’d prefer something less traditional? Although… don’t know why I’m asking you. I doubt you’ve even had the balls to ask her out on a date.”  
Losing the rest of his patience, he unloaded a few shots into the speaker in the room. He could already hear the bastard using the intercom in the next room, but at least it was muffled. He focused on checking the room instead of the pounding in his head. Daniel was just trying to provoke him. Obviously, Daniel had heard his confession and was now using it to distract him. A doorway in the distance caught his attention, and he walked into the room.   
Computer screens sat in a corner of the room. Live feed from the camera could be seen on them, but one of them just had text on the screen. Curious, Kevin started reading the screen. Realizing it was information on Umbrella, he quickly inserted a flash drive into the computer. Hopefully, Gats could use it to pull some of the information. At the bottom of the screen was a message. “The room we last met.” Kevin let out a groan as he wondered where that could possibly be.  
“Just give up. She won’t be leaving with you anyway. Desperation is not a good look for you,” Daniel said irritably. “I’m giving you the opportunity to live. Not something I often just hand out.”  
“Why?” Kevin asked irritably looking for a camera. “Why are you just letting everyone go? Won’t your bosses at Umbrella be pissed?”  
“Hmm… well, a couple would be, but I don’t answer to them. Dr. Wesker thinks differently.”  
“Dr. Wesker?”  
“Ah… not Albert. Although… perhaps we can help each other. Umbrella didn’t take Cass away. That was Albert’s work.”  
“He’s dead.”  
“And so was my dear girl, but they didn’t stay that way. Something Umbrella invented revived them. I’ll give you the information you need, but… you need to leave.”  
Kevin’s hand clenched the mouse. If that was true, then finding Albert would be the first step in figuring out how to fix her. But that would mean abandoning her here. He left the computer behind and started walking to the corridor where he’d first seen her.  
“No.”  
“No? Why not? Do you not trust me? I mean… that would be fair, but I do have information on Umbrella.”  
“I’m not leaving her here and definitely not to you.”  
“You are a troublesome rival for sure. What if I can help her? What if I’m what she needs right now?”  
“You can’t. You aren’t,” Kevin said stubbornly as he found another room with computer screens showing the cameras’ views.   
“Very well.”  
It took Kevin a moment to realize the voice hadn’t come from a speaker. A sharp pain made him wince as he turned to see Daniel standing behind him with an empty syringe in his hand. His legs felt like jelly, and he collapsed on the ground. As he went for his gun that had fallen on the ground, a boot kicked it further away. After a second, Daniel kicked him in the stomach.  
“Apologies. That was unsportsmanlike, but… I just couldn’t help it. Sweet dreams. And you can leave Cass to me.”  
The world blurred out of view as Kevin felt himself being dragged away.


	6. Chapter 6

An odd shiver went down Cass’ spine as she ventured further down into one of Umbrella’s secret laboratories. So far there hadn’t been any traps, which put her on edge. Just what was waiting for her? The control room had led her to a secret elevator that led further down into the building. Noticing that she hadn’t heard Daniel’s taunts for a while, she checked each room with more and more suspicion. He had to be up to something, but what?  
Another elevator led her further down into the base. The hair on the back of her neck raised at the sounds of a licker shrieking as the elevator doors opened. With careful steps, she slowly walked toward the screams. The licker was pacing by a door as though something had went inside of it. Noticing an explosive nearby, Cass took out a coin and threw it near the trap. The licker leapt toward the sound with a howl, and Cass calmly shot the bomb, causing the licker to give one final shriek as it collapsed on the floor.  
Scanning the room for other threats, she took out her device and held it up to the door. The door unlocked revealing a small room with a computer inside. Cass checked the screen, but there was a password. Rather than setting off a potential alarm should she fail to guess it, she decided to check more inside the room. The placement of books on the shelf struck her as odd. With a sigh, she rearranged them back into order. There was a small clunk as the bookshelf swung open.  
A dark hallway greeted her. Readjusting her sunglasses, she held up the flashlight and listened for any sudden movement. No sounds at all. Tanks containing different monsters decorated the floor of the lab. A Tyrant in one of the tanks made her nervous as she walked by him. Even though she could dispatch them pretty easily, they still gave her the willies.   
“Ah, I see you found my pets,” Daniel’s voice echoed through the dark room. “Do you like my lovelies… my lovely?”  
“Is Claire being held in one of these… things?” Cass asked with barely contained fury.  
“Claire? Oh! One of the survivors from Raccoon City. I remember reading about her. So entertaining… she was caught causing a ruckus at the European branch. But I have no idea where they sent her.”  
“Then what use are you?” Cass snarked and began looking at the screens in the room.  
Daniel sighed and said forlornly, “Not very easy to impress… I do know someone who may be able to answer your questions about Claire.”  
Cass looked up toward the camera and asked warily, “Who? And why did I have to come all the way down here? Couldn’t you have shown me all this information up there?”  
“Umbrella is… not very stable at the moment. The Raccoon City Incident shook things up for many of us. New positions opened. New factions formed with conflicting ideas on what we should be doing. While I’m perfectly happy to give you any information you desire… there are others who would… disapprove of what I’m telling you. The computers down here are much more secure. As for who… my boss would like to have a word with you.”  
“Your boss… ‘Dr. Wesker’, right? Is your boss related to Albert Wesker… or are they just products of Project Wesker?”  
“Bien. Yes, indeed, but you will need to wait just a little while longer. She’s rather busy at the moment.”  
“Great…” Cass murmured and looked around irritably.   
“I would be happy to answer any other questions of yours. Maybe some questions about myself?”  
“Why would I want to know about you?”  
“Ouch. You wound me,” Daniel said pitifully. “I thought we had a connection. You clung to me rather tightly last time we met.”  
“I was a passenger on a motorbike driven by a madman.”  
“Hey now. My driving skills are A+!”  
“What’s your grading scale?” Cass snapped back as she walked to the doorway where she had entered. The bookshelf had settled back in place, leaving her trapped inside. “Wait… how do I get out?”  
“You don’t. Dr. Wesker will call you shortly. Until then… why don’t you just focus on me?”  
Cass ignored him as she tried to find a way out, but there wasn’t any sort of lock on her side of the door. Maybe there was some kind of button that would push back the wall and bookshelf. As she checked the controls, she heard Daniel sigh.  
“Ma minette… you are just too cute. Stubborn but cute. Why are you so insistent on getting out before you have the answers?”  
“Kevin is still out there, and if your doctor isn’t ready, then I’d prefer to make sure he’s safe than just stand here.”  
“He’s safe.”  
Cass looked back at the camera with suspicion and answered, “You sound awful certain of that. Is he locked in a room too?”  
“No… well, kind of. For now, at least.”  
“Let him go,” she said in a low voice. “And if you hurt him…”  
“I didn’t! Well… much. Just a little. He’ll be fine. I’m just keeping him as a… peace offering of sorts.”  
“What do you mean by that?”  
“I’m keeping him safe. Better asleep for a little while than getting caught in one of my traps or found by one of my pets. After you listen to the doctor, I will let him go… with conditions, but why are we talking about boring old Kevin? Let’s take this opportunity to… become more acquainted with one another.”  
Cass ignored him and began to check the computers. The only thing she could find was information on what was inside the tanks. A couple of files sat on one of the chairs nearby. Picking up the files, she read more of the notes on the creatures. None of it was new information to her. Wesker had made sure that she was more than familiar with Umbrella’s creatures and what they could do.  
“Has Albert kissed you yet?”  
Cass nearly dropped the file and asked, “What do you mean by that?”  
“Exactly what I said,” Daniel teased, but there was an odd edge to his voice. “I guess not based on your reaction…”  
Cass continued to keep a straight face while flipping through the files. Daniel was obviously trying to get under her skin, and she wouldn’t let him see that it was working. A ringing from one of the monitors caught her attention.  
“Ah, that would be the doctor. We’ll have time to talk later, ma minette. Goodbye for now,” Daniel practically sung before his voice disappeared.  
With a note of hesitation, she walked toward the computer and pressed the answer button.  
“Hello?” Cass said as a beautiful woman smiled at her on the screen.  
“Hello, Miss Walker. It’s nice to meet you at last. I heard that you have some questions for me, and I have a few… requests to ask of you. Umbrella has sent some lackeys to detain you, so let’s get right into it, shall we? After all, it would be hard to find another location where we can speak privately.”  
“Why is Umbrella coming? Aren’t you guys with Umbrella? Couldn’t you just stop them?”  
Dr. Wesker sighed and said irritably, “The problem with a company full of ambitious and bright individuals is that they hunger for power and believe that they know what’s best. That means a lot of time is spent stepping on the toes of other… better researchers. Perhaps that’s why Albert was so drawn to you.”  
“…Do you know where Claire is?”  
“Ah, yes. The Redfield girl was sent to Rockfort Island, I believe. There seems to be quite a commotion going on there at the moment; Umbrella is also scrambling to cover that up as well.”  
“Rockfort Island? Where is that?”  
“By the time you would get there Umbrella would have already cleaned up. Better to focus on the task at hand. Besides… I believe your Kevin would appreciate you sticking around to help him escape.”   
Cass narrowed her eyes but said nothing. She didn’t doubt what the woman said was true, but she didn’t want to admit it.   
“How is Albert by the way? It took a while for me to realize that he was alive; he’s very good at covering his tracks.”  
“Who is he to you? Are you family?”  
Dr. Wesker chuckled and replied, “In a way. There aren’t many of us left from Project Wesker. I suppose you fit that category as well, although… you were from a later generation. An attempt to revive a failing project.”  
“I’m… from an Umbrella project. Does he know that? Is that why he used the serum on me?”  
“Yes and no. You were created for an Umbrella venture. However, Albert doesn’t know about the project. We’ve done a good job of keeping him in the dark. I was rather surprised by the interest he showed in you. To be honest, when he asked Dr. Birkin to test your blood, I suspected that he had found out about the project, but it seems he was just drawn to you. Interesting… another successful subject. But enough about that. I’d like to offer you a job.”


	7. Chapter 7

The stench hit Chris as he climbed the ladder down. He seemed to be in the part of the facility for water drainage. No doubt there were all sorts of runoff down here, and the smell was overpowering. The sound of splashing drew his attention. A body rose from the water and lumbered toward him. Taking out his pistol, he shot the reanimated corpse in the head until it fell back into the water.  
After jumping into the water, he quickly ran to the other side and climbed onto the platform. The sound of water moving caught his attention. Another corpse had rose from the water. Chris debated shooting this one. The last corpse had taken more of his bullets than he’d planned, and he had no idea what awaited him behind the next door. The corpse climbed up onto the platform, making Chris’ decision for him. With a few more bullets, it fell back into the water.  
Chris sighed and reloaded his gun with the few handgun bullets he had left. At least he still had his grenades and shotgun ammo. Walking over to the door, he took a steadying breath. Carefully, he opened the door to a familiar control room with metallic stairs leading upwards. Gripping onto his gun, he checked to make sure there were no surprises. Ever since he’d gotten to Rockfort Island, he’d had a strange feeling of foreboding. Claire had gotten herself into quite a mess. Although if he was honest with himself, he knew that he blamed himself more than Claire. If he had contacted her after Raccoon City, maybe she wouldn’t be here, but maybe Umbrella would have captured her anyway.  
Just like Cass, he thought bitterly. Taking a moment to check his shotgun ammo, he tried to push the misery aside. Thinking about what, or who, he had lost wouldn’t help him. Right now, he needed his complete focus if he wanted to save Claire and get out of here in one piece. Claire needed him. He couldn’t… wouldn’t let her down.  
Satisfied that nothing was lurking in the room, he slowly went up the stairs. This island was some kind of Umbrella outpost. No doubt it had deadly creatures lying in wait somewhere; after all he had met more than a few of them already. As he checked the room, he heard a familiar voice chuckling from behind him.  
“Long time no see, Chris,” Wesker said with menace.  
“Wesker?!” Chris said and turned to face his old captain. “How the hell are you alive?!”  
Wesker chuckled again in response, revealing nothing. Chris gritted his teeth as Wesker stared him down with a cool confidence. His eyes darted to see if there was anything else he’d missed. Wesker wasn’t a small man, and the fact that Chris hadn’t seen or heard him put Chris even more on edge.  
“What are you doing here?”   
“I came for Alexia,” Wesker said nonchalantly, as though it didn’t matter whether or not Chris knew his plans.   
“Who?”  
“An organization hired me to capture her,” Wesker continued as though he hadn’t heard Chris. “Thanks to your insubordination at the mansion, I’ve had to sell my soul to a new organization.”  
“So… you’re the one who attacked the island… and my sister!” Chris raised his gun before a thought struck him. If Wesker was somehow alive… “Wait… Do you know happened to Cass?”  
There was a blur, and then he found himself sprawled on the ground, clutching his stomach in pain. It felt like he’d been punched in the stomach, but it had happened too quickly for him to process. Wesker adjusted his sunglasses as Chris struggled to catch his breath. Within a couple seconds, Wesker had grabbed Chris by his neck and held him against the wall.  
“Where’s… Cass?” Chris whispered as Wesker’s hand clenched down on his throat. He fought to try to break free, but Wesker held him with ease.  
“None of your concern,” Wesker growled, and Chris caught a glimpse of a red flash beneath his sunglasses. “You need to be more worried about yourself at the moment… and that little sister of yours. Who knows what she could have run into by now?”  
With another deep chuckle, Wesker’s hand clenched around Chris’ throat even more tightly, and Chris could feel his lungs begging for air. In an act of futile rage, Chris punched Wesker in the face. Wesker’s sunglasses fell to the floor, and Chris caught a look at Wesker’s eyes. Chris’ eyes widened as he looked into Wesker’s. Unnatural snakelike eyes glared at him with intense hatred.  
“What… are you?” Chris weakly breathed out in horror.  
“That’s personal, but here’s a little secret, Chris,” Wesker said mockingly as he continued to squeeze Chris’ throat. “I’ve figured out that your sister is now in the Antarctic with Alexia. It’s too bad you won’t be seeing her again.”  
Stars appeared in Chris’ vision as he tried to fight with what little energy he had left. As though sensing Chris’ pain, Wesker started to laugh when he was interrupted by another laugh. A woman’s cruel laugh.  
“Alexia?!” Wesker yelled, and Chris found himself being thrown across the room into one of the tanks. As Chris fell to the floor struggling to catch his breath, he heard something shattering the glass of the tank. A malformed experiment came out of the tank, lunging at Chris with a stretching arm. Chris grabbed his shotgun from the floor. With a few well-aimed shots, the bandersnatch fell down. Blood pooled underneath the creature, and Chris looked around for Wesker. The bastard had disappeared without a trace.   
Taking a second to catch his breath, Chris couldn’t help but feel hope. He had seen Wesker die at the mansion. Wesker had somehow survived that, so Cass could be alive too. She had to be alive. Wesker hadn’t said that she was dead, and Wesker wouldn’t have missed the chance to taunt Chris. Reloading his gun, Chris couldn’t help but grin. Focusing on his sister cut through some of his newfound joy.   
Wesker had said that she was in the Antarctic with someone named Alexia. After clearing his throat, he contacted Gats over the communicator she’d lent him.  
“Albert Wesker is alive,” Chris said, unable to keep the hope out of his voice.   
“What?!” was Gats’ immediate reply. “I thought you said he’d been turned into a kabob by a Tyrant.”  
“He was… If I hadn’t seen it happen, I’d doubt it too. But if he’s alive, then maybe…”  
Chris took his hand from the button. Saying it out loud was too much for him right now. As though him saying the words would keep it from being true.  
“Then Cass could be as well,” Gats finished thoughtfully. “Is there any way you could get a blood sample from Wesker?”  
Chris groaned as he tried to figure out a way where that might be possible. He answered with a sigh, “I will definitely try, but I doubt it. Whatever he did to revive himself… he’s now incredibly fast and strong. I don’t even think he’s human anymore.”  
“Do what you can then,” Gats said, and Chris could tell that she was trying to coordinate with her other people. “I’m going to do the same on my end.”   
“Thank you… How far away did your pilot get?”  
“He’s still trying to avoid our mystery trouble-makers. Why? Is Claire not there?”  
“Wesker said Claire would be in Antarctica with Alexia.”  
“Alexia Ashford?”  
“You know her?”  
“Distant family… unfortunately. Although I only found out about her recently. It might take a while for me to get you transportation.”  
“I’ll look around and see if I can find anything here.”  
“Roger that. Watch yourself, Chris. Wesker left you alive… As hopeful as I am that he just stopped caring about killing you, I believe it might be because he knows that dear Alexia left some terrible creatures around.”  
“I will,” Chris promised and put the communicator back inside one of his pockets.   
Chris raised his shotgun and pressed forward. If Umbrella had been using this place as a base of operations, then they might have some kind of transportation. Whether or not it would be functional considering the state of the island was another thing, but Chris still held out hope. Peeking out the door to the room, he saw two hunters patrolling outside. Taking out his grenades, he tossed out a couple and closed the door. The explosives went off. Screams of the hunters told him that at least one was still alive. He ran to hide at the bottom of the stairs as he heard the creature attacking the door.   
Footsteps could be heard at the top of the stairs. Before it could spot him, Chris jumped out and took aim. A shotgun blast to the face finished the creature. Its head exploded with a splash of red. Carefully stepping around the body, he walked up the stairs and out of the room. The explosions had killed the other one outright. With a sigh of relief, Chris continued forward.


	8. Chapter 8

“A job? Why the hell would I want to work for Umbrella?!” Cass yelled in fury. “You people killed my friends! And then destroyed the whole damn city!”  
“I believe Albert is to blame for killing your friends.”  
“Under whose orders?”  
Dr. Wesker gave her a calm smile that didn’t reach her eyes but relented, “True. Umbrella did want the combat data but only after Albert suggested it. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say he did it just to have you to himself… but I’m sure the data would have been useful to him. Why are you working for him then?”  
“It’s either that or my family dies. I don’t really have a choice.”  
“But you do. Umbrella can keep your family safe. All I would need from you is a few samples and your cooperation.”  
“You don’t think he has a plan for me deciding to switch sides?”  
“Hmm… yes, that would be a fair assessment of his character. How about this… we put that to the side for now, and if you help my assistant escape, then I will look into a solution for your family.”  
“Why are you helping me? Didn’t you say he’s like family to you?”  
“As much as I consider Albert my brother, forcing a girl you like to work for you is crossing a line even by my standards. Perhaps he will learn a lesson. And aside from that, I really do need access to your blood. Dr. Birkin did a good job of hiding his findings from me, and I’d like to know what he saw.”  
“Okay… so I just need to get Daniel the douche out of here, and you’ll find a way to free me? Why should I trust you?”  
“Do you have a choice?” Dr. Wesker asked with a knowing smirk. “Aside from that… what do you have to lose? You got the data my brother wanted, so he’ll be happy. You can get your friend out of here, safe and sound. All I’m asking is that you let my assistant go… and please don’t shoot him. I know it’s tempting, but I need him in one piece.”  
“Why doesn’t he just say hello to your friends?”  
“Well, it would appear that one of my rivals is behind this particular mission. Nothing would make him happier than putting a bullet in Daniel’s skull… and he’s not alone in that.”  
“Your assistant is really good at making friends, huh?”  
Dr. Wesker chuckled and replied, “Well, the quality of his work often makes up for his… quirks. Best of luck, and be careful.”  
As the screen flickered out, Cass heard Daniel sigh over the intercom.   
“Well, it’s a good thing I have the good doctor… and you.”  
“Where are you? We need to go.”  
“I heard, and I’ll open the door now.”  
There was a metallic click, and Cass took a step back as a section of a nearby wall slid out of the way to reveal a doorway.  
“Hello, my love. So good to see you again. Did you miss me?”  
Daniel soon appeared in the doorway with a grin on his face. A quick punch to the gut had him gasping for air. Before he could catch his breath, she had him pinned to the doorway.  
“Where is Kevin?”  
“Cass?” Kevin’s voice said weakly; he sounded confused.  
Cass let Daniel drop to the floor as she ran into the room. Relief flooded Kevin’s face when he saw her. He was clenching his side in pain. Cass quickly turned to Daniel, and Daniel quickly explained, “He fell off the bed when he woke up! It wasn’t me! …this time at least.”  
Cass’ eyes narrowed in suspicion, but they didn’t have time to waste. Umbrella was coming.   
“We need to get out of here. Is there a way out that Umbrella doesn’t know about?”  
Daniel gave her a cocky smile and answered smugly, “Of course there is. We work for Umbrella, don’t we?”  
“Honestly questioning that,” Cass muttered as Daniel revealed yet another secret passageway. “Do you need help?”  
Kevin was walking toward her with a pained look on his face and muttered, “You know… I seem to remember a certain asshole kicking me in the stomach.”  
“Weird,” Daniel replied nonchalantly. “This way. Do you want to escape or not?”  
“I’ll be fine,” Kevin assured Cass with a smile.  
Cass didn’t quite buy it, but he seemed to be moving easier. Keeping an eye on Kevin, she followed Daniel with her gun held tightly in her hand. The corridor was much darker than the main building. Her sunglasses weren’t making it any easier.  
“Watch your step,” Daniel said cheerfully as he stepped around a decapitated corpse.   
Cass looked back to check on Kevin, and he gave her a strange look. He pointed to her sunglasses and said, “Wouldn’t it be easier to see without those?”  
Cass hesitated with her hand on the frames. She gave him a helpless look before she looked away.   
“I saw your eyes earlier, Cass,” Kevin said gently, and Cass took a step away from him. “I don’t care.”  
Cass hesitantly looked back at him, and Kevin reassured her with a smile. He lifted his hand once again to her sunglasses, but this time she let him take them off.   
“See? Nothing’s changed,” Kevin said, handing her back the sunglasses. “You’re still you. Just with a new look.”  
Cass was grateful for the darkness now as it helped hide the blush on her face. Putting her glasses in her pocket, she continued walking forward until she saw Daniel looking at them thoughtfully.  
“No flash grenades, I promise,” Daniel said quickly, holding up his hands.   
Cass rolled her eyes and continued toward the door. A sound on the other side made her hesitate.  
“What’s on the other side of this door?”  
“Oh, Humpty,” Daniel answered indifferently. “One of my creatures. He should be asleep though… Perhaps one of the assholes from corporate has been pushing buttons!”  
“Great. What is Humpty?”  
“A Bandersnatch. It’s a more… cost-effective version of a Tyrant. Kevin, you may want to wait further back. It won’t attack me, but… I have yet to get it under full control.”  
“Awesome,” Cass muttered and put her handgun away.  
Opening the door, she bolted through and closed it behind her. Inside was something that looked similar to the Tyrant, but one of its arms was missing. The other arm stretched unnaturally far toward her. Luckily, her speed allowed her to dodge the limb easily and get closer to the creature. Wesker had taught her to aim for the heart or the head as those were harder for the virus to heal. Enough damage to either would kill most, if not all, of Umbrella’s monsters.   
The Bandersnatch screamed at her and tried to grab her with its mutated arm, but she jumped on top of the limb. With another jump, she pulled out her shotgun out of the strap on her back and fired. Its skull was weaker than a Tyrant’s. After a few blasts, it fell to the floor in a pool of its own blood.   
She waited until it had completely stopped moving before she opened the door to the room. Kevin nearly fell into the room. Daniel looked sadly at the creature before moving on with a sigh; he walked over to the monitor nearby and tapped on the keyboard. Cass waited behind him as the monitor showed people in black combat gear moving around the building.  
“I’ll give them some toys to play with,” Daniel said with a grin as he released creatures in a nearby room. “If corporate wants to mess with my creatures, then… enjoy.”  
Kevin gave Cass an alarmed look. She shrugged and walked toward the door to check for sounds. Umbrella was full of opportunistic assholes like Dr. Wesker said, so Cass had a hard time feeling that sorry for them. Then again if they were truly here to kill Daniel, then she couldn’t really blame them.  
“Are you done?” Cass asked Daniel and pointed to the door. “Unless you have enough creatures for all of them, we need to leave before they find your secret passageways.”  
Daniel sighed and tore himself away from the screen.   
“My dear… when you’re right, you’re right.”  
“Does your boss have a helicopter waiting for you?”  
“I have my own helicopter. It’s in a hidden location… and you’re more than welcome to join me. Not him though.”  
Cass looked at Kevin and asked, “Do you have a way out of here?”  
Kevin replied, “I should… hopefully. My communicator gave out when I got into the building.”  
“Ah, yes. An invention of the doctor. You should get service when you get out.”  
“Good to know,” Kevin said irritably and stared at Daniel as Daniel led them through a new hallway. “You can come back with me, Cass… I don’t know what they’ve threatened you with, but… we’ll find a way around it.”  
“I… we can talk about that after Umbrella isn’t breathing down our backs,” Cass said stiffly and focused on following Daniel. Even though she wasn’t looking at Kevin, she knew he was doubting those words.


	9. Chapter 9

Cass felt a strong urge to punch Daniel as he happily led them through the building. It was no wonder Dr. Wesker had been worried about him getting shot. The only wonder was how no one had killed him yet.   
“And this is where I kept my Hunter Gammas… before corporate decided they weren’t ‘cost-effective’. But they were so cool! Which I feel adds substantial appeal.”  
Kevin gave her a look that echoed her feelings perfectly.   
“We’re almost home free! This is the door to freedom,” Daniel said as he typed in a security code. “Are you ready, ma minette? Soon we’ll have to part ways… for now at least.”  
Cass watched Kevin’s hand tighten around the gun. Quickly putting her hand on his arm, she shook her head. As much as Daniel deserved a few bullets, she had an agreement. Daniel’s Dr. Wesker was probably one of the least trustworthy people she’d ever met, but it was better than nothing. Kevin sighed but then gave her a reassuring smile.  
The opening of the door caught her attention. A gust of fresh air breezed into the building. Cass took a deep breath before following Daniel into a forest. It had been sunset when she’d first arrived, and now she’d need to navigate through an unknown forest… at night… with Daniel. Her own grip tightened on the gun.   
As though he could read her mind, Daniel stopped and smirked before saying cheerfully, “Do try to keep up. These woods are dangerous after all.”  
“No kidding,” Cass snarked back. “But Umbrella labs are always so safe and well-guarded.”  
The sarcasm in her voice made Kevin chuckle. Daniel looked back with irritation. Ignoring Daniel, Cass focused on making sure they saw an enemy coming and looked into the trees as they quickly but quietly walked past. Sounds of distant gunfire and blood-curdling screams could be heard in the distance. No doubt that at least one Umbrella bioweapon had escaped the facility in the commotion.  
Cass’ eyes met Kevin’s. She could see her thoughts reflected in Kevin’s eyes; they needed to get out as soon as possible. Kevin kept his eyes on Daniel, while Cass watched for signs of movement behind them. Aside from the chaos in the distance, she heard nothing unusual. At least the screams meant Umbrella was too busy to look for them.  
“Ah, there she is. Isn’t she a beauty?” Daniel said cheerily and gestured to a helicopter.  
“Good,” Cass replied and pointed the gun at him. “Now… give me the flash drive on the Wesker project.”  
“Aw, but, ma minette… that was going to be a surprise… Make sure dear Albert doesn’t find it. If he does… he may never let you go.”  
Cass felt a chill go up her spine as she reached out to take it from Daniel’s hand. “I know… which is why I want you to take it to Gats,” Cass told Kevin, placing the flash drive in his hand.   
Kevin seemed to be searching for something to say as Daniel hurriedly got into the helicopter. As Daniel started the helicopter, he shouted, “There’s always room for you, darling!”  
“Hard pass!” Cass shouted before turning her attention back to Kevin. “I can’t go with you either, Kevin.”  
“Why not? We can protect your family.”  
“Just like how I was protected?” Cass asked, watching Kevin flinch. “I’m not blaming you… or Chris or Gats. He was going to find me one way or another, and he’ll find my family. He’ll use them as leverage, and I’ll be back where I am now. Except without any freedom.”  
Kevin looked away in deep thought. Cass put her hand on his arm and continued, “Even if they were safe, I still couldn’t go with you. I’m different now… He injected me with something. I think it must have been back when he trapped me inside that enclosure with the hunter… He found me at the house, and… I died, Kevin.”  
Kevin’s hands found hers and gripped them helplessly.  
“I died, but whatever they gave me brought me back.”  
“You’re still you,” Kevin told her and held her hands in his as though they were precious. “Whatever they forced onto you… it doesn’t change who you are.”  
“But it does change what I am… I need injections of a serum to keep me stable. I don’t know what’s in them, but I would need it sooner than Gats could figure out what I need.”  
A sudden idea made her remove her hands from Kevin’s hands. She took out a small kit with a needle and syringe. If she had found something different from Umbrella’s usual experiments, then she would have needed to take back a sample. Tying off one of her arms, she waited for a vein to become apparent. After finding a vein, she drew some blood. After putting the cap back over the needle and putting it back in the kit, she handed the kit to Kevin.  
“I don’t know if Gats’ll be able to get much, but… it’s the best I can give her,” Cass said, taking the tie off her arm.  
Kevin stared at the kit for a moment before wrapping his arms around her. Cass was shocked for a second. She hadn’t expected it, but she realized that she found it a welcome surprise. Returning the hug, she relaxed into his warm embrace as she heard Daniel’s helicopter taking off, and Kevin’s large frame shielded her from the wind.   
After the sounds of the helicopter faded into the distance, Kevin whispered, “I’ll find a way, Cass. I promise… One day, you’ll come home.”  
“Yeah,” Cass whispered back as conflicting thoughts raced through her head. She had to believe in him. What other choice did she have if she wanted to stay sane?  
Letting go of him was incredibly hard, but she knew if she didn’t soon Wesker’s men might find them. If Wesker knew that she’d not only met Kevin but had teamed up with him… no, she couldn’t let him know. With that in mind, she gently pushed Kevin away. His eyes glistened, and he looked away to compose himself.  
“Don’t forget about… our promise,” Kevin said before he started walking into the forest.   
“I won’t!” she called out at his back before he disappeared from sight.   
With a breath to compose herself, she started to walk to the rendezvous location. Luckily, Kevin had went a completely different way. They’d never need to know that he was even here. Especially Wesker. A low growl caught her attention, and she looked to see a Cerberus sprinting at her full speed. But not fast enough, she thought as she easily dodged its mouth and caught it by the neck. A sudden sound from the bushes made her turn in time to see two more leaping at her. She dispatched the one in her hands and leapt above them. As the two dogs hit each other midair, she shot them in the head. All three Cerberus dogs laid still on the ground.   
Cass heard a shot in the distance and begun sneaking around, using her speed to remain out of sight. As she got closer to the gunfire, she knelt on the ground and waited to see what was happening. A man in an Umbrella SWAT uniform came running toward her but fell to the ground. A long arm had grabbed onto him and was pulling him back where he came from. A Bandersnatch… Cass watched helplessly as it tore the man to shreds.   
The Bandersnatch scanned to see if there were any more victims nearby before walking back to the facility. She quietly crept through the underbrush. Cass could easily handle most of Umbrella’s monsters now, but getting caught here would lead to unnecessary questions. After a few more moments of checking to make sure the coast was clear, she started booking it towards the rendezvous point. Taking too long would also lead to questions.   
A ship could be seen waiting in a cove near the shore. Putting her sunglasses back on, she strode to the ship with a confidence that she didn’t quite feel. The men aboard the ship greeted her as she reached the dock. The men quickly prepared to sail out, taking care to chart a course that would avoid Umbrella’s notice. As she walked inside the ship and sat down, she could feel the presence of someone coming from behind her.   
“Yes?” she asked irritably.   
“Dr. Wesker wanted to make sure that you properly completed your mission,” a man said reproachfully.  
Cass very much doubted that. If she failed, then Wesker would just hold it over her head. She knew how most of the older men in this organization felt about her. Wesker’s girl toy. With a sigh, she held up the flash drive. The man reached out for it, but she pulled it out of his reach before he could even blink.   
“Whether I got the information he wants or not… that will be between Wesker and me, not you. Don’t overstep, sir,” she said and pulled her sunglasses up to show him her eyes. “It’s none of your concern how my mission went. Just get me where I need to be.”  
Watching his face redden with rage, she walked past him to her quarters. He grabbed her hand and said, “I’ve been with this organization since before you were in diapers, little girl! You have no right—!”  
Cass grabbed his neck and effortlessly lifted him into the air. As he gasped for breath, she said in a calm manner, “I have every right. Whether you like it or not, I’m in charge here.” After a quick throw, the man bounced off of one of the tables before collapsing on the floor. “I’ll be in my room. Bring me any information that I need to know; otherwise, don’t disturb me.”


End file.
